Westfalia Fruit: Sustainable innovation by creating paper from avocado waste

The multinational transforms avocado waste into paper, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint.

Westfalia Fruit is finding an innovative use for avocado waste in its supply chain by developing paper made from 25-30% of this byproduct. This project aims to minimize waste and make the most of available resources. During Fruit Attraction 2024, attendees were able to see the avocado paper in action, with a cartoonist drawing on it to demonstrate its quality.

While recycled paper and cardboard often lose strength over time due to the weakening of their fibers, Westfalia Fruit's paper addresses this issue by utilizing avocado cellulose and starch. This process not only strengthens the paper but also reduces the need for virgin wood fibers, thus lessening its environmental impact.

“This progress wasn’t achieved overnight, but rather through research and collaboration with like-minded organizations,” emphasized Johnathan Sutton, Sustainability Director at Westfalia Fruit. The collaboration with Bio-Power Technologies has enabled the analysis of avocado compounds, maximizing their value in high-impact applications such as sustainable packaging solutions.

Avocado skin and seeds are typically used in low-value applications, such as anaerobic digesters. However, the Westfalia method increases the value of these byproducts, responding to the growing demand for sustainable cardboard packaging.

This initiative is part of Westfalia Fruit's comprehensive commitment to the environment and innovation in sustainability. Previously, the company had already used avocado waste in the cosmetics industry, replacing plastic microbeads with natural alternatives.

Source: portalfruticola.com